The present invention relates to dispensing apparatus and pertains more particularly to apparatus for dispensing grease from an original shipping container to a grease gun.
Small hand actuated grease guns are widely used throughout the world for greasing the machinery of industry and agriculture. These grease guns typically hold between a pint and a quart of grease and in many instances must be frequently refilled. Such grease guns are typically refilled from five gallon shipping containers by means of a paddle-like apparatus or by the hand. Such techniques for filling grease guns have numerous drawbacks. Besides being messy and dirty, such techniques typically leave air pockets within the grease gun, resulting in an interruption of operation and a frequent waste of grease.
Some grease gun filler apparatus for filling grease guns from containers have been proposed in the past. Typical of such, as illustrated in the prior art, are shown by the following U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,224,509 issued Dec. 10, 1940 to Canine.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,277,437 issued Mar. 24, 1942 to Hultgren et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,443,981 issued June 22, 1948 to Funk et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,660,491 issued Nov. 24, 1953 to Sundholm.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,726,802 issued Dec. 13, 1955 to Jones.
The Canine and Jones Patents disclose similar apparatus which utilize a piston acting within a container with the piston actuated by a ratcheting mechanism operated by a lever for forcing grease through an elongated tube into a grease gun.
The Hultgren et al Patent discloses a grease gun loading apparatus utilizing a screw mechanism for advancing a piston for forcing grease from a special grease loading container into the grease gun. There is no disclosure or suggestion of how the grease gun filler apparatus is filled from a container.
The Funk et al Patent discloses an apparatus wherein a piston having an elongated tube at the center thereof is forced downward into a container with the grease gun attached to the upper end of the tube for forcing grease from the container into the grease gun.
The Sundholm Patent discloses a tubular apparatus that extends to the bottom of a container to which a grease gun is attached for drawing grease from the container. A follower piston is placed within the container that follows the level of the grease as it lowers in the container.
These proposed devices have not been entirely satisfactory for various reasons. It is therefore desirable that an improved apparatus be available for loading grease guns from grease shipping containers.